What unnecessary apps on Xiaomi can be removed: a safe list

Xiaomi smartphone owners often find themselves after buying a new device that a significant portion of the internal memory is occupied by pre-installed software. Android in the shell of MIUI or HyperOS is saturated with dozens of services that are not always needed by the average user. Many of them work in the background, consuming battery power and processor resources, which directly affects the performance of the gadget.

Cleaning your smartphone of excess software is not only a way to free up gigabytes of space, but also an opportunity to increase the autonomy of work. However, before you mindlessly remove everything, you need to clearly understand what a component is responsible for. System errors can occur if you affect critical processes responsible for calls, messages or screen operation.

In this article, we will discuss in detail which Xiaomi applications can be safely uninstalled and which cannot be touched. ADB-We also analyze hidden processes that often go unnoticed.

Analysis of pre-installed software and system debris

The first thing that catches your eye when you look at the new Xiaomi is the abundance of desktop icons, which are so-called bloatware, which is pre-installed by the manufacturer or partners, some of which are an integral part of the ecosystem, and some of which are just advertising content that can and should be removed, and understanding the difference between the system kernel and user garbage is key to secure optimization.

Many users mistakenly believe that if an application can be removed through a standard menu, it is safe. This is not always the case. Some services from Google or Xiaomi have hidden dependencies. For example, deleting Google Play Services will cause most third-party programs to fail, and disabling the system launcher will require a complicated recovery procedure.

⚠️ Warning: Never remove applications that have the words "System", "Framework", "Security" or "Input" in their name unless you are 100% sure of their purpose.

To clean up properly, you should divide all software into three categories: user (you can delete), system support (you can turn off) and critical (no touch), the first type includes browsers, app stores, gaming centers and recommendation services, which are the most often annoying users and take up space.

Secure removal of user applications through settings

The easiest and safest way to free up space is to use the standard application management menu, which does not require root rights or a computer connection and is suitable for most cleaning tasks, where you can remove services that are not part of the operating system kernel.

First of all, you should pay attention to duplicate programs. Xiaomi often has two calendars, two email clients, two browsers and two cloud storage. If you use Google products or third-party counterparts, native Mi Browser or Mi Video apps can be safely uninstalled.

The uninstall process is simple: go to Settings → Applications → All applications. Find an unnecessary program in the list, click on it and select the Remove button. If the button is active, then the application is not critical to the system. If only the Disable button is available, then the component is embedded deep and requires more complex manipulations to completely remove.

• 📱 Mi Video and Mi Music: Standard players, which are often inferior in functionality to third-party analogues like VLC or Yandex.Music.
• 🌐 Mi Browser: Often contains built-in ads and news feed that cannot be completely disabled without removing the app itself.
• 🎮 GetApps and Game Center: Xiaomi's app store and game center. If you only download software from Google Play, you don't need those services.
• 📊 Microloans service, pre-installed in many regions, is absolutely useless if you do not plan to use it.

It's part of the company's marketing strategy. Ignore these offers if you really don't need the app.

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Before mass removal of applications, back up important data via Mi Cloud or Google Drive so that in case of an error, it is easy to restore contacts and photos.

Hidden System Processes: What You Can and Can't Touch

At the core of Xiaomi’s system, there are many processes that don’t have desktop icons but consume resources, some of which are responsible for collecting statistics and advertising, and disabling or removing these components greatly speeds up the smartphone’s performance and improves its energy efficiency.

One of the most famous resource eaters is the MSA (MIUI System Ads) process, which is responsible for displaying ads in system applications, turning it off will not disrupt the phone, but only remove intrusive banners, and it is worth paying attention to analytics services that transmit data about the use of the device to the manufacturer's servers.

The com.xiaomi.joyose process is a special focus, and it's responsible for the notifications in games and how Game Turbo works. If you're not an avid gamer, removing it won't have any effect on the system, but if you like to play, it's better to just turn off its notifications rather than delete the packet itself.

⚠️ Note: com.miui.cloudservice is not recommended to be deleted if you are using synchronization of photos and contacts with Mi Account. Otherwise, you will lose access to your data in the Xiaomi cloud.

To work with these components, you often need to go to developer mode. Activate it by clicking 7 times on the build number in the About Phone menu, then in the advanced settings, find the Debugging by USB". This will allow for more powerful cleaning tools.

Using ADB for deep cleaning of the system

When standard methods don't help remove the built-in software, Android Debug Bridge (ADB) comes to the rescue, a Google console utility that allows you to control your device from your computer, and it can remove even applications that don't have a "Delete" button in the interface, acting on behalf of a user with rights above standard but below root.

To get started, you need to install ADB drivers on your computer and enable USB debugging on your smartphone. Once you connect the device with a cable and confirm access on your phone screen, you get full control of the packets. Commands are entered at the command line or terminal.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 name packet

This command removes the application for the current user (user 0) without affecting the system partition, which means that if you reset the settings to the factory, the remote programs will return, but until then they will not take up space and load the system, this is the safest method of deep cleaning.

• 🔍 Search for packages: Use the command adb shell pm list packages | grep name to find the exact name of the packet to remove.
• 🔄 Recovery: If you delete the extra, you can return the application with the command adb shell cmd package install-existing name packet.
• 🛑 Blocking: Some users use the ADB not for removal, but for freezing (pm disable-user), which also effectively stops the processes.

Using ADB requires care. One bug in the package name can lead to the removal of an important component.Always double-check the package name before you type in a command.There are graphical shells for ADB, such as Xiaomi ADB/Fastboot Tools, that simplify the process for beginners by providing a list with descriptions.

Optimizing Google Services and Background Services

Google services are the backbone of Android, but on Xiaomi devices they often conflict with their own MIUI services, causing increased battery consumption.Duplicating features such as geolocation, contact synchronization and backup puts extra strain on the processor.

If you’re actively using the Google ecosystem, it makes sense to disable sync for accounts you don’t need. Go to Settings → Accounts and Sync. Here you can selectively disable data updates for Google Drive, YouTube, Play Games and other services, leaving only email and contacts.

Also worth checking permissions for background activity. Apps → Permissions → Auto Run only leave messengers and important notifications on. All other apps, especially games and stores, should not run on their own when you turn on your phone.

⚠️ Warning: Do not completely disable Google Play Services, which will stop Push notifications, navigation and banking applications, and may limit background activity, but not completely block them.

Another important aspect is geolocation: Google Location Accuracy is constantly scanning Wi-Fi and Bluetooth networks to determine location, and if you don't want high map accuracy, you can turn it off in location settings, which saves battery life.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions About Xiaomi Cleanup

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The main goal of Xiaomi cleaning is not to remove the maximum of applications, but to disable those that you do not use, maintaining the stability of the system and ease of daily use.

To sum up, cleaning up Xiaomi’s excess software is a useful and necessary process for comfortable operation, from removing obvious garbage like browsers to fine-tuning. ADB-In teams, you can turn your smartphone into a fast and responsive tool, and the key is to act consistently and always have a rollback plan in case of unforeseen situations.